Ore-concentrator



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. E. SEYMOUR.

- ORE UONGENTRATOR.

No. 498,823. Patented Jun 6, 189B.

(No Model.) v r 2 Sheets-Sheet :2. 0. E. SEYMOUR. ORE GONGENTRATOR.

No. 498,823. I Patented June 6, 1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFIcE.

CHARLES E. SEYMOUR, OF LAKE GENEVA, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE SEYMOUR CONCENTRATOR COMPANY, OF ILLINOIS.

ORE-CONCENTRATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 498,823, dated June 6, 1893. Application filed July 18, I892. Serial No. 440,330. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. SEYMOUR, of Lake Geneva, in the county of WValworth and State of Wisconsin, have invented anew and useful Improvementin Ore-Concentrators, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

The invention relates to improvements in ore concentrators.

The primary objects had in view are, first, to provide means for automatically regulating the speed of the revolving mechanism whereby the pan, for a certain length of time, is revolved at a rate of speed sufiioient for concentrating purposes, which rate of speed is temporarily and periodically increased for the purpose of ceutrifugally discharging the contents; and secondly, to provide means for conducting different grades of the contents of the bowl into separate receptacles or troughs.

With the above objects, and others, in view the invention consists in the improved construction hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, is a front elevation of one of my machines, the pulleys upon the countershaft and the intermediate friction clutch being shown in section, the View also disclosing a fragment of the main driving shaft and the operating cable with its tripping mechanism thereon. Fig. 2, is a horizontal section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a vertical section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4, is a plan view of the lower cam. Fig. 5, is a side elevation of the cable and tripping system. Fig. 6, is a plan view thereof. Fig. '7, is a face view of one of the tripping devices and the stop, and Fig. 8, is a face view of the levercarrying the other tripping device.

Like numerals of reference designate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates a frame of suitable construction for supporting the operative mechanism. A 0011- centrator pan or bowl, 4, is supported on a central piercing shaft, 5, which has its bearings in the frame and is suspended yieldingly by springs 6, 6, the upper spring beinginterposed between a collar 7, held fixedly on the shaft by means of set screws, and a suitable support or bearing on the frame; and the lower spring located between a bearing projecting from the bottom of the pan or bowl and a collar 8, free to slide upon the shaft. The shaft and bowl supported thereon are arranged to be jumped up and down by the action of the cams in connection with the springs above alluded to. These cams are indicated by the numerals 9 and 10, the upper one being adjustably fixed on the shaft by means of set screws. The lower cam is shown iudetail in Fig. 4E and is provided with an annular space which is filled with packing, 11, preferably leather, for the purpose of lessening wear, jar and noise.

The numeral 12 indicates a fragment of a main driving shaft, driven from any suitable source of power, and having mounted thereon large and small pulley wheels 13 and 14 respectively. Some distance below the driving shaft is a counter-shaft 15, having loosely mounted thereon two pulleys, 16 and 17, and also toward its inner end a cone pulley 18. These pulleys 16 and 17 are connected, respectively, with pulleys 13 and 14 by belts, 19, 19. Theinner surfaces of the rims of pulleys l6 and 17 are beveled inwardly, as clearly shown in the drawings. Feathered or splined on the shaft, intermediate the two pulleys, is a double friction clutch wheel 20, having two disks, the peripheries of which are beveled to enter the pulleys l6 and 17 and register with the corresponding bevels thereof.

A rod or pin 21 secured in the frame 1 forms a pivot for the forked or bifurcated lower end of a shifting lever '22, said forked portion straddling the central connecting collar 23, of the double friction clutch. This central connecting collar is provided with an annular recess 24., which receives an annulus or ring 25, composed of two semi-circular sections. Screws 26 pass through the furcate arms of the lever, and engage this ring, so that when movement is imparted to the lever, the clutch will be caused to be moved longitudinally upon the countershaft. A belt 27, runs around cone pulley 18, and thence upwardly over two quartered pulleys 28, 28, mounted in the frame, and thence around a cone pulley 29, at the upper end of shaft 5.

In the position shown in the drawings, the

friction clutch is in engagement with pulley 17 which derives its motion from the smaller pulley 14 of the driving shaft, and consequently a slow rotation is imparted to the concentrator bowl and its shaft 5. When, however, the clutch is shifted so as to engage pulley 16 which derives its motion from the large pulley 13 of the driving shaft, the speed is increased. When thus increased, for the purpose of discharging the contents of the pan or bowl, I prefer to elevate the latter together with its shaft so that the cams (top and bottom) do not contact and the bowl revolves supported on the spring and collar, 6 and 8, respectively. This spring and collar, also, when the collar is down in the position shown in Fig. 1, holds the clutch normally in 0011- tact Withthepulley running at slow speed, as will be readily understood.

The elevation of the collar 8 to automatically raise the pan and shaft is effected by the mechanism now about to be described. It will be seen that lever 22 has adj ustably secured thereto a collar 30, said collar having connected therewith a transverse pin 31, shown clearly in Fig. 2, the ends of which receive the outer ends of arms 32, 32, the inner ends of said arms being pivotally connected to the upper end of a bell-crank lever 33, pivoted to a short upwardly-extending standard 34, and also having one of its arms bifurcated to embrace the collar 8, and secured thereto by means of pins or bolts 35. It is obvious, from this construction,that as lever 22 is actuated, the arms 32, 32, acting upon the bellcrank lever, cause the uplifting of collar 8 against the pressure of the spring, and the consequent uplifting of the pan and shaft, and the supporting of said pan and shaft upon the spring and collar.

The trough 36 of the pan or bowl is provided with a discharge orifice 37. A vertical lever 38 is. pivoted below the trough, and carries at its upper end a double trough, 39, below the discharge orifice. connected to one of the arms 32, by a link 40, so that when said arms 32 are actuated, the vertical lever 38 is rocked, throwing either one side or the other of the double trough into position below the discharge orifice. The result of this is that when the mechanism is shifted to fast speed, the valuable contents of thebowl are discharged into one section of the trough, and the refuse is discharged during the slow period of motion, or concentrating period, into the opposite section of the trough, thus separating the two-qualities of dump. It-will be apparent from the description thus far that the pan is adapted to be revolved at a uniform rate of speed until it is loaded, and that this speed is automatically increased temporarily for the purpose of centrifugally discharging the contents.

The mechanism by which the pivoted lever is operated, and the consequent shifting of the clutch mechanism in order to produce Variations in the speed of the pan or bowl,

This lever 38 is will now be described. This apparatus is shown fully upon Sheet 2 of the drawings,in which the numeral 41 indicates a frame suitable for supporting the driving mechanism. In this frame are journaled, upon vertical shafts 42 and 43, multiple sheaves 44 and 45 respectively. Shaft 42 is provided at its upper end with a pinion 46, which meshes with a worm 47 upon a horizontal sl1aft,48, carrying upon its outer end a cone pulley 49, a corresponding pulley being provided upon a line shaft, not shown. The numeral 50 indicatesa vertical rod which is free to slide in guideways form ed byanglebrackets 51,51,upon the frame, said rod being provided medially with a projecting pin 52. Upon the lower end of this rod is suspended a weight 53, whilenear oppositeextremities thereof are sheaves 54, 54, the axis of the one near the upper end being adjustable in an elongated slot 55. Upon the right hand side of rod 51 are two sheaves 56, 56, arranged in a vertical line, and upon the left hand side arev also two sheaves 57, 57, similarly arranged, while a third sheave 58, is located to the left of multiple sheave 44, all of said several sheaves being quartered with reference to the multiple sheaves. Turning in the frame 41 is a horizontal rocking shaft 59, having a bar or rod 60, secured to its end at right angles thereto. This bar or rod is apertured at opposite ends to permit wires 61, 61, to be passed therethrongh, said wires being held in place by knotting the ends thereof. The opposite ends of the wires areextended and attached to the extremities-of a medially pivoted lever 62. The rocking lever 59, has also extending therefrom an adjustably weighted arm 63, whichv holds rod or arm 60 normally in contact with a stop 64. Theaxis or journal of the upper of the sheaves 57 has secured thereto a bell-crank lever 65, the short arm thereof connected with a bar or rod 60, by means of a link 66. The numeral 67 indicates a fragment of an endless rope or cable, the arrangement of which being shown fully in Fig. 5. The lower portion of this cable first passes over the lower sheave 56, down and around sheave 54 at the lower end of rod 50, up and over lower sheave, 57, thence extended back and forth over multiple sheaves 44 and 45 leaving the former and passing around sheave 58, and finally under upper sheave 57 over sheave 54 at the upper endof rod 50, and under upper sheave 56. In extending the cable to and from sheaves 44 and 45, it will be seen that it is passed from one groove to another in such manner that the rope will cross between the sheaves, as shown more clearly in Fig. 6. The numeral 68 indicates a fragment of a rigid frame from which depends a stop 69. In advance of this stop is pivoted a tripping device 70, of bell-crank form, the long and short arms thereof, respectively, being provided with an eye 71, and laterally-extendingfinger72. Intermediate tripping device 69, and the sheave-carrying frame is located a lever 73, pivoted to a laterally- IIO eea-szc 3 extending arm of bracket 74 and having its upper end bifurcated or forked to receive the cable, and its lower end connected with the upper end of pivoted lever 22, by a link 75. The upper end of lever 73, has pivoted thereto a tripping device 76, also of bell-crank form, and provided with a laterally-extending finger 77. The long arm of this trip is acted upon so as to force the short arm thereof upwardly and release the cable, instead of downwardly as in the case of tripping device 7 O.-

The above being a description of the different parts constituting my invention, an explanation of its operation will now be given. It will be observed that the weighted arm 63, holds rock shaft 59, and bar or rod 60, normally in the position shown in Fig. 5, said rod bearing against stop 64. The endless cable is moved by. the sheaves 4:4 and 45 in the direction indicated by the arrows, and as the button 78, carried by the cable reaches the stop 69, its travel is of course arrested. As this takes place the strain or pull of the cable directed against the lower sheave 54: or rod 50, causes the raising of said rod, the upward movement thereof continuing until pin 52 comes in contact with and raises the bellcrank lever 65, which through the connecting link 66, draws back the upper end and carries forward the lower end of bar or rod 60. The lower wire 61, it will be noticed, carries two buttons 79, 79. The moment, therefore, the lower end of rod 60- moves forward, the lower wire is moved in the same direction, and the button 79 nearest the outer end thereof will strike the depending arm of tripping device 70, and throw the short arm thereof downwardly forcing the rope or cable out of the stop 69. The cable being now free, the weight upon the end of sliding rod 50, will return the same to its original position and the cable will resume its motion with considerable impetus, and, engaging the top of lever 73 will bring said lever rearwardly with a jerk to an approximately vertical position. As lever 73 is thus operated shifting lever 22 is also turned upon its pivot thereby throwing the double friction clutch 20, from engagement with the pulley giving slow speed to the pulley imparting fast speed to the concetrator pan and its shaft. WVhen lever 22 is thus thrown from the left to the right, the arms 32, 32, act upon the bell crank lever 33 which latter causes the raising of the pan and its shaft, and also the shifting of the double trough 39, through the connecting arm or link 40, for the purpose previously pointed out. NVhen the movements just described take place, the button of the cable is in engagement with the lever 73, and of course the progress of said cable is again arrested, with the result that the sliding rod 50 is once more raised, operating the rocking shaft, and this time throwing the medial button 79, of the lower wire, 61, into engagement with the tripping device pivoted to lever 73, thus raising the button out of the forked end of saidlever and permitting thesliding bar to fall to its original position, and the cable to continue its movement until it comes to the next machine, to repeat the operation when a series thereof is employed. The shifting of the clutch back to the slow speed pulley after the pan has been rapidly rotated is accomplished by the gravity of the pan, aided by the retractile power of springs 6, 6. As previously explained, when the pan is rotated at fast speed it is elevated by means of the links, 32, actuated by the shifting lever, 22, which latter is operated by the tripping lever 73. So long, of course, as the button, 78, holds tripping lever 73, in its adjusted position to the left the clutch will be held in engagement with the fast pulley. The moment, however, said button is released from the tripping lever, the gravity of the bowl assisted by the springs 6, 6, will cause the bowl to descend, which, at the same time, will return links 32, shifting lever 22, and tripping lever 73 to their normal positions, the latter ready to be again engaged by the button so as to throw the clutch once more into engagement with the fast pulley. Attention is directed to the fact that as the sliding bar 50 is moved upwardly the slack which would necessarily accumulate is taken up by the sheave 54 at the upper end thereof, inasmuch as the cable will be carried up as far above the frame as it is raised toward it, thereby retaining equal tension in all positions.

The wire cable in practice is about two hundred feet long, and is actuated so that at its greatest speed the button thereon will not complete its circuit in less than twenty minutes. It is obvious'that this motion would be soslow that if the stop 69, were omitted the button would draw lever 73 over very slow, carrying the friction clutch out of the slow motion pulley, and causing the pan to IIO and strikes lever 73 sharply, so as to tilt with such rapidity as to prevent the pan from losing any of its motion.

It is of course understood that when more than one machineis operated by my improved system they are arranged in line, and each machine hasits separatetripping mechanism. Quite frequently it may be desirable to arrange several of these lines of machines, and in which case the end of the cable shown in Fig. 5 is carried to the next row over pulleys, or equivalent means, and the rocking shaft 59, extended thereover, and the bar 60, wires 61, and lever 62 are duplicated. It will be noticed that by fixing the axis of sheave 54, at the upper end of sliding rod,50,in an elongated slot, said sheave may be adjusted vertically so that the tension of the cable may be regulated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a concentrator for separating minerals from ores while in the pulverized state, the combination,of an ore receiving pan adapted to be revolved at a uniform rate of speed, until it is loaded, and means for automatically increasing the speed for the purpose of contrifugally discharging the contents, substantially as set forth.

2. In an ore concentrator, the combination, with a shaft and a pan or bowl revoluble therewith, a driving shaft carrying a large and small pulley, a countershaft provided with loose pulleys connected with the pulleys of the main drive shaft by belts, belting between the countershaft and the shaft of the pan or bowl, a friction clutch intermediate the pulleys of said countershaft, and a lever for throwing the clutch into engagement with either of the loose pulleys, substantially as set forth.

3. In an ore concentrator, the combination, with a shaft and a pan or bowl revoluble therewith, a driving shaft carrying a large and a small pulley, a countershaft provided with loose pulleys connected with the pulleys of the main shaft by belts, belting between the countershaft and the shaft of the pan or bowl, a friction clutchintermediate the loose pulleys, a lever engaging the friction clutch, an endless belt carrying a button constructed to engage and trip the lever so as to shift the clutch into engagement with the loose pulley giving fast speed and thus temporarily increasing the speed of the pan or bowl, substantially as set forth.

4. In a concentrator for separating minerals from ores while in the pulverized state, the combination, of an ore receiving pan adapted to be revolved at a uniform rate of speed until it is loaded, means for automatically increasing the speed temporarily for the purpose of centrifugally discharging the contents, and means for elevating the pan or bowl and its shaft synchronously with the increasing of the speed, substantially as set forth.

5. In an ore concentrator, the combination, with a shaft and a pan or bowl revoluble therewith, a driving shaft carrying a large and a small pulley, a countershaft provided with loose pulleys connected with the pulleys of the main shaft by belts, belting between the countershaft and the shaft of the pan or bowl, a friction clutch intermediate the loose pulleys, a lever automatically engaging the friction clutch so as to shift the same into engagement with the loose pulley giving fast speed and thus temporarily increasing the speed of the pan or bowl, a bell-crank lever connected with the shaft of the pan or bowl, and links connecting this lever with the other lever to elevate the shaft and bowl synchronously with the shifting of the clutch to give fast speed, substantially as set forth.

6. In an ore concentrator, the combination, of a pan or bowl, a trough thereabout provided with a discharge orifice, means for revolving the pan at a uniform rate-of speed until it is loaded, means for automatically increasing the speed temporarily, and a double trough located beneath the discharge orifice constructed to be shifted for the purpose of conducting the valuable contents of the bowl or pan in one direction during the fast movement thereof, and to be shifted to a different position during the slow period of motion to conduct the refuse or less valuable contents in another direction, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, with a machine provided with a tripping lever by which certain parts are engaged or operated, of a lever operating device, consisting of an endless cable, a button on the cable adapted to engage the lever and tilt it, and means for retaining the lever out of its normal position a sufficient length of time toallow the parts effected thereby to be operated temporarily, substantially as set forth.

8. In an orc concentrator, the combination, of a revoluble pan or bowl and its shaft, an endless cable carrying a button, a tripping lever engaged by the button so as to be tilted thereby, and connections between the lever and the shaft whereby the latter and its bowl are automatically raised, substantially as set forth.

9. In an ore concentrator, the combination, of a revoluble pan or bowl and its shaft, a movable collar upon said shaft, a spring confined between said movable collar and a fixed enlargement on the shaft, a bell-crank lever one member thereof being forked to engage the movable collar, an endless cable carrying a button, a tripping lever engaged by the button so as to be tilted thereby, and link connections between the tilting lever and the bell-crank, whereby the latter is operatedand the bowl and its shaft automatically raised, substantially as set forth.

10. In an ore concentrator, the combination, of a revoluble shaft passing loosely through a cam and carrying fixedly thereon a cam adapted normally to contact with the first named cam, a pan or bowl revoluble with the shaft at a uniform rate of speed until it is loaded, means for automatically increasing the speed of the pan and shaft temporarily for the purpose of centrifugally discharging the contents of the pan, and means for automatically raising the shaft upon the increasing of the speed to throw the two cams out of contact, substantially as set forth.

11. The combination, with a machine provided with a tripping lever by which certain parts are engaged or operated, of a lever-operating device consisting of an endless cable provided with a button adapted to engage the tripping lever, a tripping device pivoted to the tripping lever, a rocking arm normally held against a stop, a medially pivoted lever, and wires connecting said rocking arm and lever, one of the wires provided with a knot or button acting against the tripping device, substantially as set forth.

12. The combination, with a machine provided with a tripping lever by which certain parts are engaged or operated, of a lever operating device, consisting of an endless cable provided with a button adapted to engage the tripping lever, a depending stop a tripping device in advance of said stop, a tripping device pivoted to the tripping lever, a rocking arm normally held against a stop, a medially pivoted lever, and wires connecting said rocking arm and lever, one of the Wires provided with knots or buttons acting successively upon the tripping devices, substantially as set forth.

13. The combination with a machine provided with a tripping lever by which certain parts are engaged or operated, of an endless belt provided with a button engaging said tripping lever, a rotatable shaft carrying a grooved pulley around which the cable passes, a series of guide pulleys, a sliding weighted rod carrying pulleys at opposite ends and provided with a projecting pin, a rocking arm held normally against a stop, a bell-crank lever, connection between said bell-crank lever and the rocking arm, a medially pivoted lever, and Wires connecting the opposite extremities thereof with the extremities of the rocking arm, one of the wires provided with means for releasing the button of the cable from the tripping lever, substantially as set forth.

14. The combination with a machine provided with a tripping lever by which certain parts are engaged or operated, of an endless cable provided with a button engaging said tripping lever, a driving shaft provided with a worm, a shaft carrying at its upper end a pinion meshing with the worm and at its lower end a grooved pulley, a second shaft carrying a grooved pulley, said grooved pulleys having the operating cable wound thereabout, a series of guide pulleys, a sliding weighted rod carrying pulleys upon opposite ends, one of said end pulleys mounted adjustably in a slot, said rod also provided with a projecting pin, a rocking arm held normally against a stop, a bell-crank lever, connection between said bell-crank lever and the rocking arm, a medially pivoted lever, and wires connecting the opposite extremities thereof withthe extremities of the rocking arm, said wires provided with means for releasing the button of the cable from the tripping mechanism, substantially as set forth.

15. The process of concentrating and separating ores to recover the mineral or metal from mineral-bearing ores, which consists in subjecting them in a revoluble vessel to centrifugal force, by rotation at a slow rate of speed, and temporarily increasing said. rate of speed for the purpose of centrifugally discharging the contents, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES E. SEYMOUR. Witnesses:

GEO. P. CONANT, CHAS. F. STORER. 

